The Prison-Made Queen novel Chapter 919

"You finally found a way out. Stop wasting time on me and just go."

"Leave me behind." Payton directed his words entirely at Leilani.

"Absolutely not!" Leilani rejected the idea without a second of hesitation.

She had walked into this nightmare specifically to bring Payton home. There was zero chance she was abandoning him now.

Leilani refused to leave, but Payton was equally adamant about staying behind.

As the argument spiraled, precious seconds bled away.

Abel abruptly stepped in front of Payton's wheelchair. His stance was absolute. He looked at Leilani first, offering her a reassuring, grounded smile, before turning to Callahan.

"Mr. Langley, take the team and go. I'm staying here to guard Payton. We'll sweep the room again and see if there's a secondary exit."

"If we're totally screwed, we'll try to drag him through the duct later."

He locked eyes with Leilani, his voice filled with an unbreakable oath. "Dr. Sloan, don't worry. As long as I'm breathing, I won't let anything happen to him!"

Callahan stared hard at Abel and Payton. He knew this wasn't the time for sentimental hesitation. He clapped a heavy hand onto Abel's shoulder, a silent acknowledgment of the man's courage.

Then, Callahan turned to Leilani. "Leilani, Payton is right. Every single second we stand here arguing, the risk multiplies. With Abel watching his back, Payton will be fine."

Leilani still wouldn't budge. Either she and Abel both stayed to protect him, or she wasn't leaving.

But Payton flat-out refused her terms.

Seeing that Leilani was about to dig her heels in again, Callahan grabbed her arm and pulled her close.

"Leilani, this is not the time to act on pure emotion!"

"You staying here only puts him in more danger."

The duct was dead silent, save for the claustrophobic scraping of their clothes against the metal and their harsh, suppressed breathing.

The darkness was physically heavy.

They crawled blindly for what felt like hours until a faint, ghostly light pierced the gloom up ahead, revealing a rusted iron ladder.

"Light! We're at the end!"

Callahan scaled the ladder quickly and carefully pushed open a trapdoor hidden beneath a pile of industrial trash. Thick dust rained down on them.

One by one, the four of them pulled themselves out, finding themselves in a massive, desolate concrete stairwell.

"Ugh..."

Shaun furiously spat out a mouthful of dirt, his eyes instantly scanning the perimeter. He looked to Callahan. "Mr. Langley, where the hell are we?"